Millie Bobby Brown expressed her genuine fear of Jamie Campbell Bower’s character, Vecna, during a panel at the Stranger Things Epic Con on October 20 in Jackson, Georgia. The 20-year-old actress, known for her role as Eleven, humorously addressed a fan’s question about her favorite scenes with Bower, stating, “None of them. He terrifies me when he is Vecna. I am terrified of his costume. It scares me.”
Brown, who admitted to having a longstanding phobia of masks, shared her initial reaction upon seeing Bower in full Vecna attire on set. “He comes on to [the] set and I am like, ‘Who is that?’” she recalled. When informed it was Bower, she responded, “That’s not Jamie. That is a gremlin that lives in my closet and is waiting for me to fall asleep to kill me.”
The actress revealed that crew members encouraged her to calm down and think of something that reminded her of Bower. “I’m like, sobbing in my tent and I’m like nothing reminds me of Jamie,” she recounted. It wasn’t until she caught a whiff of cigarette smoke that she felt reassured, thinking, “That’s Jamie.”
Brown concluded by noting the authenticity of her fear during scenes meant to portray terror. “Yes, Jamie is the best. I love working with him — but not other him,” she added, highlighting the fine line between their on-screen dynamic and their off-screen friendship.
In a previous interview with PEOPLE in July 2022, Bower reflected on his close bond with Brown, whom he affectionately calls “Mills.” He described their connection during the read-through for their characters, noting, “When I started talking, doing the Henry stuff, she turned around, looked at me in the eyes, and kind of smiled.” Bower emphasized the sense of safety that this connection brought to their work together.
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